Four National Women's Groups: CCLOW · CFWEC · CRIAW · NOIVMW

4. The Right to Choose

The right to choose must be fundamental to Canada's social contract. This means options should be available to individual Canadians, but coercion would never be used. Social programs with elements of coercion will encourage resistance, abuse of the system, poor performance and negative results, and will actively dampen the initiative and ingenuity that are key to social and economic prosperity.

This right carries with it a responsibility to contribute economically and socially to their communities. Women take this responsibility very seriously. Our participation in the labour force has increased dramatically over the last 35 years, and is now almost comparable to men's, despite the barriers and penalties that women face in the paid work force. Women continue to shoulder the major responsibility for the care of children, the elderly, and family members with disabilities. In addition, women are the vast majority of those providing community services as volunteers. Not only are women in Canada willing to help themselves, they also spend a great deal of time helping others.

5. Lifelong Opportunities

The social and economic needs and contributions of individuals change at different periods of their lives. An effective social security system recognizes this and provides a range of supports and opportunities for each point in a person's lifecycle. The unique needs of small children, school-age children, youth, all types of families, single adults, and the elderly all need to be considered.

6. Right to a Basic Quality of Life

Social security includes economic security, but is not limited to it. True social security means having healthy, sustainable communities. It means having adequate basic social services available across Canada. It means reflecting and strengthening the social, cultural and environmental elements that make each community unique. A basic quality of life also includes adequate food, clothing and shelter for all Canadians. Currently, more women than men are poor, and one Canadian child in five lives below the poverty line - this is unacceptable.